Arts, Literature and History Questions and Answers
How many questions can you answer?
In which famous novel do the characters Matthew Pocket and Mr Pumblechook appear?
Great Expectations
Which English king was killed in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings?
King Harold
‘The Thinker Statue’ was sculpted by whom?
Auguste Rodin
Which author wrote the 1922 novel Ulysses?
James Joyce
Which Greek God was ‘God of the Sea’?
Poseidon
‘The Last Man In Europe’ was the original title of which George Orwell novel?
1984
Which Damian Hirst work featured a cow and calf, cut in half and preserved in formaldehyde?
Mother and Child (Divided)
Who composed ‘Rhapsody In Blue’?
George Gershwin
Who was the president of the USA for the whole of World War One?
Woodrow Wilson
What was the title of the third Harry Potter book to be published?
The Prisoner of Azkaban
In the Bible, who was famous for his wisdom?
Solomon
Which social security benefit was introduced in 1909?
Old Age Pension
Who wrote ‘Wuthering Heights’?
Emily Bronte
Which ship was Sir Francis Drake in when he circled the globe?
The Golden Hind
Who painted Campbell soup tins and Marilyn Monroe?
Andy Warhol
Who was the wife of Cronus and mother of Zeus in Greek mythology?
Rhea
Who wrote the books which were adapted for the TV series Jeeves and Wooster?
P G Wodehouse
Which Shakespeare play features the characters Mercutio and Tybalt?
Romeo and Juliet
In which year did the UK join the EU (EEC) - 1973, 1975 or 1978?
1973
Who wrote the opera Tosca?
Puccini
Who was the author of the classic novel The Three Musketeers?
Alexandre Dumas
Which word can go before ‘Rock’, ‘Bug’ or ‘Time’?
Bed
Who wrote the 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire?
Tennessee Williams
What is meant by the musical expression ‘legato’?
Connected or smooth notes
In which year did the battle of Waterloo take place - 1785, 1805 or 1815?
1815
Which creature sold a ring to the owl and the pussycat, for one shilling?
Pig
Which Venetian painter of the Renaissance gave his name to a shade of red?
Titian
What name is given to the 21 books of the New Testament that were written as letters?
Epistles
What does the Latin term ‘bona fide’ mean?
In good faith
Who wrote the 1988 novel ‘The Satanic Verses’?
Salman Rushdie
Name the island where Gulliver discovered a race of little people in the novel Gulliver’s Travels?
Lilliput
Who wrote the horror novel Dracula?
Bram Stoker
What nationality was the composer Franz Schubert?
Austrian
In J M Barrie’s Peter Pan, what is the surname of Wendy, Michael and John?
Darling
Who was the Roman god of war?
Mars
Who created the character Tarzan?
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Who painted ‘The Last Supper’?
Leonardo da Vinci
In which century did Chaucer begin writing the Canterbury Tales?
14th (1,300’s)
Who wrote “Bridget Jones’s Diary”?
Helen Fielding
Who was the fourth wife of Henry VIII (8th)?
Anne of Cleves
What is the name of the main character is Jane Austen’s ‘Mansfield Park’?
Fanny Price
What served as balls in the mad croquet game in ‘Alice In Wonderland’?
Hedgehogs
In 1721, Robert Walpole became the first what?
British Prime Minister
‘Long Walk To Freedom’ is the title of who’s autobiography?
Nelson Mandela
Who wrote the opera ‘Madame Butterfly’?
Puccini
To the nearest year, how many years did the Vietnam War last - 9, 15 or 19?
19
How many letters are there in the Hebrew alphabet - 22, 26 or 30?
22
What was the name of Juliet’s cousin, killed by Romeo?
Tybalt
Which architect designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York?
Frank Lloyd Wright
Which Roman emperor played the fiddle whilst Rome burnt in AD 64?
Nero
Who wrote the classic novel ‘Anna Karenina’?
Leo Tolstoy
What shocking task does Beatrice give to Benedict to prove his love in Much Ado About Nothing?
Kill (Claudio)
Who was the first leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - Vladimir Lenin or Joseph Stalin?
Vladimir Lenin
Who composed the opera ‘La Traviata’?
Verdi
Which artist painted ‘The Night Watch’?
Rembrandt
Which word can describe a listening device, an illness and an insect?
Bug
Who wrote the poem ‘Four Quartets’?
T. S. Eliot
Theophobia is the fear of what?
God
Name one of the two books of the Old Testament which are named after women?
Ruth or Esther
The Boer war was fought between the UK and which country?
South Africa
Who wrote ‘A Walk In The Woods’?
Bill Bryson
In which year did America become Independent - 1766, 1776, 1786?
1776
Which Dickens novel is about the French Revolution?
A Tale of Two Cities
Which monarch was the first to reside at Buckingham Palace?
Queen Victoria
‘Birches' and ‘The Road Not Taken’ are poems by which American poet?
Robert Frost
In Shakespeare’s play, which king does Macbeth murder?
Duncan
Which country did Paddington bear come from?
Peru
Who wrote the “Mary Ann” series of romantic novels?
Catherine Cookson
The composer Sibelius is associated with which country?
Finland
What does the term ‘largo’ mean in music?
Slow pace
Who wrote the novel ‘Oliver’?
Charles Dickens
How many operas did Mozart write - 22, 26 or 30?
22
The novel ‘Watership Down’ is about a colony of what?
Rabbits
Which English King was the last to die in battle?
Richard III (3rd)
‘The Four Seasons’ is a group of four violin concerti by which Italian composer?
Vivaldi
Which author wrote the novel ‘The Green Mile’?
Steven King
In which century did Leonardo Da Vinci die?
16th (1500’s)
Who did Oliver Twist ask ‘Please Sir, can I have some more?’?
Mr Bumble
Which Greek god was the God of the Sea?
Poseiden
In which year did World War One start?
1914
How many Chronicles of Narnia are there - 5, 7 or 9?
7
Which British monarch abdicated in 1936?
Edward VIII (8th)
‘Sunflowers’ is a famous painting by which artist?
Vincent van Gogh
Who was the first person to witness Jesus’ resurrection?
Mary Magdalene
In the rhyme, what is Fridays child?
Loving and Giving
Which god was king of the Greek gods?
Zeus
Which Spanish artist painted ‘The Persistence of Memory’?
Salvador Dali
Which author wrote ‘Bleak House’ and ‘Nicholas Nickleby’?
Charles Dickens
In which year was the last hanging in Britain – 1804, 1884 or 1964?
1964
’50 Shades of Grey’ was a novel by which author?
E L James
Who was the Greek goddess of victory?
Nike
Which overture with cannon and bell effects has a date for its title?
1812
Which British Queen did George 1st succeed?
Anne
Which Dickens novel featured Jerry Cruncher?
A Tale of Two Cities
Which Norwegian artist painted ‘The Scream’?
Edvard Munch
Whom did Peeping Tom see naked?
Lady Godiva
‘Vision of a Knight’ was the work of which Florentine painter?
Raphael
Which Shakespeare play features the quote ‘All that glisters is not gold’?
The Merchant of Venice
Who was the first ever president of the USA?
George Washington
Edward VIII (8th) was the son of which king?
George V (5th)
What did King George III buy for £28,000 in 1763?
Buckingham Palace
Which Shakespeare play features the characters Viola and Olivia?
Twelfth Night
Which artist coined the expression ’15 minutes of fame’?
Andy Warhol
In which year did Queen Victoria die - 1891, 1896 or 1901?
1901
Who created Winnie The Pooh?
A. A. Milne
Who was queen of the Roman Gods?
Juno
In architecture, what is a water spout carved as a grotesque face?
Gargoyle
What was the name of the lion in ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’?
Aslan
In which century was George I (first) king?
18th (1700’s)
Which novel was ‘Schindler’s List’ based on?
Schindler's Ark
In which war was the Battle of Balaclava?
Crimean War
Which book comes after ‘Numbers’ in the Bible?
Deuteronomy
Who painted ‘The Night Watch’?
Rembrandt
Edmund, Goneril and Regan are characters in which Shakespeare play?
King Lear
In which year did D-Day take place?
1944
In which century did the Battle of Agincourt take place?
15th (1400’s)
Who in ‘Gilbert and Sullivan’ is “a dealer in magic and spells”?
John Wellington Wells
‘Guernica’ is a painting by which artist?
Pablo Picasso
Which DH Lawrence novel was set in Mexico?
The Plumed Serpent
‘Mary of Teck’ was married to which British monarch?
George V (5th)
Who wrote Moby Dick?
Herman Melville
During what century was Napoleon Bonaparte the emperor of France?
19th (1800’s)
In the Bible, which type of bird was the first to leave the ark?
Raven
Celia and Rosalind are characters in which Shakespeare play?
As You Like It
Which influential German philosopher wrote 'Being and Time'?
Martin Heidegger
Who composed the opera 'Hänsel und Gretel'?
Engelbert Humperdinck
In Greek mythology, which King was the son of Laius and Jocasta?
Oedipus
Admiral Villeneuve was captured in which battle?
Trafalgar
With whom was Adrian Mole madly in love?
Pandora Braithwaite
Later adapted into a successful film, what was the title of Margaret Mitchell`s one and only novel?
Gone with the Wind
In what year did the United States enter the First World War?
1917
Which art movement emerged in the UK and the US during the mid- to late-1950s?
Pop Art
Who wrote the poem `Jabberwocky`?
Lewis Carroll
How many lines are there in a limerick?
5
How many loaves and how many fish did Jesus use to feed 5,000?
5 Loaves and 2 Fish
Which artist painting `Wheatfield With Crows`?
Vincent van Gogh
What dance was named after the Portuguese phrase meaning `snapping of a whip`?
Lambada
What is the name of the land of giants in the book `Gulliver`s Travels`?
Brobdingnag
What is Juliet’s surname in `Romeo and Juliet`?
Capulet
Who is the father of Perdita in ‘The Winter’s Tale’?
Leontes
Which sculptor designed the Orbit Olympic Structure for the London 2012 Olympics?
Sir Anish Kapoor
Who wrote the Waverley novels?
Sir Walter Scott
Henry IV (4th) was the first king of which royal house?
Lancaster
During which decade did the Impressionists movement first come to prominence - 1870’s, 1900’s or 1920’s?
1870’s
In Roman mythology, who was the husband of Juno?
Jupiter
What language did Jesus speak?
Aramaic
What is the name of the young girl in the Roald Dahl book The BFG?
Sophie
Which artist said: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”?
Pablo Picasso
Which group built Hadrian’s Wall?
Romans
Who wrote ‘Nessun Dorma’?
Puccini
In which war did the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ take place?
World War 2
Agatha Christie wrote romantic novels under the pseudonym of Mary who?
Westmacott
Artists Manet and Monet both came from which city?
Paris
In which year did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?
1941
Which royal house immediately followed the reign of England's King Richard III?
Tudor
Which Mr Smith was the main character in the novel “1984”?
Winston
Who composed the opera “Adelaide di Borgogna”?
Rossini
Which artist painted ‘Morning Haze’?
Claude Monet
Which king of England was crowned on Christmas Day in 1066?
William the Conqueror (William I)
What is the full name of Anastasia Steele’s flat mate in ‘50 Shades of Gray’?
Kate Kavanagh
How many years did Henry VIII reign as King – 27, 32 or 37?
37
Which Italian artist painted the Birth of Venus?
Botticelli
Who created the famous sculpture ‘Bronze David’?
Donatello
Clara Peggotty is a character is which Dickens novel?
David Copperfield
John Audubon is famous for painting what?
Birds
Who is married to the Duke of Cornwall in King Lear?
Regan
Which land did the Romans call Hibernia?
Ireland
Jason set out with his Argonauts in search of which mythic item?
Golden Fleece
Which city is the main habitat for Ian Rankin’s crime fiction?
Edinburgh
What is the name of the Giant who threatens to waylay the Pilgrim in ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’?
Giant Despair
Who went off to slay Medusa in order to help his mother?
Perseus
The ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ occurred during which battle?
Crimean War
What must come to Dunsinane before Macbeth can fall?
Great Birnam Wood
Who painted ‘The Blinding of Samson’?
Rembrandt
